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Kavanaughty

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EDIT: Thanks to all of you for your help. I ended up ordering a Cold Steel Code 4. An excellent knife for only a quarter of my budget!

Mods, you are free to close this thread. I'm still searching for a second knife that fits the criteria in post #37 so to avoid confusion, I'll be starting another thread.

Thanks again folks.
 
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G&G Hawk MUDD in elmax

edit: dirp thats 99$ more than your budget. def worth it tho. they have one in XHP which is more corrosion resistance than D2 and its a little cheaper but still over your budget

it is a "buy-it-for-life" folder. looks great, works in mudd, water, etc. sealed pivot. ZT made a version of this knife a long time ago. if you find one used, ive seen them between $350-400 before. i cant recall the blade material, but its coated.

ZT mudd

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A much cheaper alternative is the spyderco spydiechef, but im not sure if that particular blade geometry will be right for you, the steel is very rust resistant. probably better than the salt series H1 blades.
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If you want durable and strong take a look at the Cold Steel Recon 1 or other offerings. The CTS-XHP is pretty rust resistant and since all the parts are DLC coated you have a good contender.

If you want rust proof then you need a Spyderco Pacific Salt. People have used and abused those and they still keep going. Make certain to get a serrated edge version as the H1 steel performs best in that configuration for edge retention.
 
A large Chris Reeves folder should work. Sebenza 21, Inkosi, or Umnumzaan. Take your pick.
 
Cold Steel's 4-MAX is worth a look. They've had some issues with some of the current USA made models which required shipping them back to Cold Steel to have Andrew Demko (the designer of the knife who also works with CS) to be fixed. I don't know how that would work out for you, being in Canada. I'm guessing they're also above $400 in Canada, though you could probably order from the States ($360 USD is the current street price). They are supposed to be moving manufacturing to Italy, but I'm not sure when those will be available. Also upcoming but not yet available is their SR1 folder, which looks like a beast as well. USA street price is $150, and they are available for pre-order.

The upcoming Italian 4-MAX: http://www.coldsteel.com/products/2017-products/4max-2017.html?___SID=U

The SR1: http://www.coldsteel.com/products/2017-products/sr1.html
 
DocT said:
If you want durable and strong take a look at the Cold Steel Recon 1 or other offerings. The CTS-XHP is pretty rust resistant and since all the parts are DLC coated you have a good contender.
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This is what I was going to say, specifically a tanto recon 1. Plus it's much less than $400.
 
I would suggest saving up, and getting yourself a Tom Mayo Covert. It had Ti. handles & screws, as well a Stellite or Talonite blade. When I had one, it was the knife that I swam in the ocean with.
 
DocT said:
If you want durable and strong take a look at the Cold Steel Recon 1 or other offerings. The CTS-XHP is pretty rust resistant and since all the parts are DLC coated you have a good contender.

If you want rust proof then you need a Spyderco Pacific Salt. People have used and abused those and they still keep going. Make certain to get a serrated edge version as the H1 steel performs best in that configuration for edge retention.
Click to expand...

TheChunk91 said:
This is what I was going to say, specifically a tanto recon 1. Plus it's much less than $400.
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This and just this. Those would be my 2 picks.
A beastly, tank of a folder, with excellent steel and a heavy construction, with the strongest lock in business. It will take abuse and ask for more, the lock and blade will stand extreme usage and the handles are marvellously contoured and sturdy as it can be. Pick your favorite blade shape.

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My other choice would be the Pacific Salt as well. Light, thin and incredibly nice to carry, deceivingly tough and resistant, forgiving and extra strong steel, easy to maintain, use and forget about cleaning or rust issues. Lock back, while not a TriAd, is strong as needed and won't fold up on you inadvertently. Teeth + H1 = jaw dropping cutting power and resilient, corrosion proof steel that keeps on shearing and won't chip even under extreme circumstances.

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If one of them doesn't last an entire life, you can get 4 or more with your budget!
 
+1 on the Pacific Salt knives. Best corrosion resistance, light and easy to carry, lock-back design and surprisingly durable.

Benchmade Adamas comes to mind as a "tough" knife.

Cold Steel Voyager or perhaps Recon with CTS blade steel.

With some careful shopping - you could get all of the above for your budget; with that level of redundancy, you would have amazing long-lasting durability.

Separately, Sebenzas (in most any iteration) have a stellar reputation and many happy customers.
 
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Wow! Thanks for the overwhelming support everybody. I should have mentioned that the $400 budget is in USD (though I am in Canada). A lot of amazing recommendations, where should I start?

The Cold Steel Recon 1 has been praised a few times in this thread. After checking out the specifications and marveling over the Tri-Ad lock, I became an instant fan, especially at that price point! Another Cold Steel model which seems fairly similar in specifications is the AK-47. How does it compare to the Recon 1?

The G&G Hawk MUDD is a neat knife, albeit expensive. Also a little hard to find as well. If money wasn't a factor then it would definitely be a top contender. That being said, I'm not completely counting it out.

I've come across the Spyderco Pacific Salt knives in the past but never realized how affordable they were. For corrosion resistance, it's definitely a no-brainer. As a couple of you pointed out, I could buy a few of them with my budget (the same applies to the Cold Steel Recon 1 as well).

Chris Reeve's knives have always been a dream. The small and large Sebenza 21 as well as the small Inkosi and the Umnumzaan hover around my limit and are extremely tempting, though I'm not completely convinced they'd be the right choice this time around.

After a little browsing, I came up with this list, ranked most to least favorable for this (or perhaps THESE) particular purchase(s):

• Cold Steel Recon 1
• Spyderco Pacific Salt
• Cold Steel Code 4
• Cold Steel AK-47
• Benchmade 490 Amicus (I always thought assisted knives were considered prohibited in Canada, however AXIS Assist and SpeedSafe knives are being sold on Canadian sites; if anybody would like to comment on this or clarify, feel free)
• Zero Tolerance Hinderer 0562CF (I enjoy lockbar stabilization, even if it isn't necessary; it gives me a little peace of mind)
• Boker Model 13 CG
• Spyderco C181GTIP Lil' LionSpy
• Zero Tolerance 0770GRYBW
• Viper Knives Start
• Benchmade 940-1 Osborne
• Kershaw 1870 Knockout
• Zero Tolerance Rexford 0801BLK
• Cold Steel 62RM 4-Max (though as G. Scott H. mentioned the current models are apparently having issues)
• Chris Reeve Small/Large Sebenza 21
• Zero Tolerance 0095S90BLK
• G&G Hawk MUDD
• Viper Knives Odino
• Zero Tolerance Emerson 0620
• Boker Steven Kelly Gulo
• Spyderco C186TIP Marcin Slysz Bowie

As you can probably tell, I have a few assisted opening and flipper knives in my list. I've never actually owned any, so your input regarding them (in relation to my requirements) would be appreciated.

Let me know your thoughts and feel free to add suggestions! Thanks again.
 
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IMHO, avoid anything that has additional springs. I have yet to have a knife that was axis lock, Kershaw/ZT Speedsafe, and a couple of others, that did not have a spring failure. In some cases this renders the knife useless and/or dangerous.

If you want fully reliable (as much as anything can be fully reliable) then stick with good liner locks, good frame locks, compression lock, and good lock backs or triad locks.

I am surprised that none of the variations of the Spyderco Military or Military 2 made it onto your list. Get them with a coated blade and they probably will stand up to anything you can throw at them. They are very simple in construction and design so there is little to go wrong or fail too. I might have also suggested the Cold Steel Code 4, but you might find the handle a bit slippery.
 
Aldebaran said:
IMHO, avoid anything that has additional springs. I have yet to have a knife that was axis lock, Kershaw/ZT Speedsafe, and a couple of others, that did not have a spring failure. In some cases this renders the knife useless and/or dangerous.

If you want fully reliable (as much as anything can be fully reliable) then stick with good liner locks, good frame locks, compression lock, and good lock backs or triad locks.

I am surprised that none of the variations of the Spyderco Military or Military 2 made it onto your list. Get them with a coated blade and they probably will stand up to anything you can throw at them. They are very simple in construction and design so there is little to go wrong or fail too. I might have also suggested the Cold Steel Code 4, but you might find the handle a bit slippery.
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When you say AXIS lock, are you referring to both AXIS and AXIS Assist? I never thought the normal AXIS lock could be prone to failure.

I don't know how I missed the Cold Steel Code 4. It looks solid and I don't mind aluminum handles at all. I'll add it to the list!

The Spyderco Military must have slipped my eye as well. I've never been too keen on Spyderco knives aesthetically but with time I'm beginning to look past that. How is CPM S30V's corrosion resistance in comparison to, say, CTS XHP?
 
Grayman Dua
Three Sisters Forge Beast
You can find Sebenzas here for under $400 regularly. You want robust look for an Umnumzaan, 25 or large Inkosi. I've seen several Umnumzaans for $350 ish, 25s too. And generally you can get them with the box and papers if that's important.

Good luck in your quest.
 
Kavanaughty said:
When you say AXIS lock, are you referring to both AXIS and AXIS Assist? I never thought the normal AXIS lock could be prone to failure.
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It is the springs that move the locking bar that fail. It is commonly known problem. Some people never have a failure, some have many. If the springs fail the blade will not stay shut and just swing around freely, and will not stay locked without jamming something in behind the bar to make it stay.

Kavanaughty said:
How is CPM S30V's corrosion resistance in comparison to, say, CTS XHP?
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S30V is a fairly good steel as far as corrosion resistance goes, but XHP is better by all accounts. You need to ask yourself if you need corrosion resistance above all else and are willing to resharpen your blade continuously, or if something that just needs a tiny bit of care but will hold its edge for a good amount of useful work is more important. Are you going to be prying open clams at the seashore and diving, or just going to use it where it can get wet with fresh water?

If it is just worry about getting wet sometimes then CTS-XHP, 154CM, VG10, S30V, S35V, CTS-204P, CTS-20V, BD189, M390, 440C, ATS34, and many others are all good stainless steels that will hold up to most everyone's uses. Mainly stay away from non-stainless steels and you probably won't be disappointed.

If you need the ultimate in corrosion then you need steel like H1 and LC 200 N like Spyderco use in the Salt series and the Spydiechef. The reports on LC 200 N is that it is almost as good as some of the better normal stainless steels for holding an edge.
 
I will vouch for the TSF Beast as well. Mine has been outstanding. I have the CPM-S35VN version with pb washers.


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